Tirunelveli constituency candidates of Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and breakaway group Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam landed here on Wednesday with the promise of bringing big industries, generating employment opportunities and boosting agriculture sector, the district’s predominant vocation.
Ruling AIADMK candidate P.H. Manoj Pandian says he will strive to give this segment a new face by generating thousands of jobs for the skilled and semi-skilled workforce by bringing big industries. If the strengths of Tirunelveli, particularly its abundant human resources, are properly showcased, bringing big industries would not be much of a problem, he says.
“Tirunelveli people work across the globe and their expertise can be availed; it has big parcels of land suitable for establishing mega industries; quality power supply and water are also available; it has excellent rail and road connectivity; still no major industry has set its sight on this region. I’ll showcase these strengths and attract less water-intensive industries,” Mr. Manoj says.
He also promises to improve the agriculture sector, with Tamirabharani river as its backbone, through new irrigation techniques, new water storage structures like check dams and value addition of farm produce.
AMMK candidate Gnana Arulmani also promises to bring vitality to the farming sector.
When Mr. Manoj Pandian was coming towards Palayamkottai after landing in Thoothukudi airport from Chennai, his car and the vehicles of his entourage were stopped at KTC Nagar check post. When the police, accompanied by Indo Tibetan Border Police, checked his car, they found less than ₹ 50,000 and allowed him to proceed.
Garlanding of leaders’ statues continued on Wednesday also by these two candidates after similar ritual performed by DMK candidate S. Gnanathiraviyam badly disrupted vehicular traffic on arterial roads.
Even as Mr. Manoj Pandian, accompanied by the AIADMK functionaries was garlanding the statue of party founder M.G. Ramachandran at Kokkirakulam, Mr. Gnana Arulmani and the AMMK functionaries accompanying in separate cars were intercepted near Government Engineering College for searching the vehicles.
While the search was going on, they became restless and started arguing with the police personnel who told them that they could not go to the MGR statue for garlanding as AIADMK men were offering floral tributes. Ignoring the police instruction, they left for MGR statue only to be intercepted again at Vannarpet.
As the police asked them to wait for a while until the AIADMK men leave the spot, the agitated AMMK candidate and the cadres tried to stage a road roko at Vannarpet. After the police pacified them, the AMMK cadre spent a few minutes there and garlanded the statue of MGR and other leaders.